Thicker Than Water
by Tobi Is Still A Girl's Name
Summary: Angel finds the meaning of 'Sirehood' when Darla's Sire forces him to learn some hard lessons about responsibility when Spike gets turned into a child again. All Hell breaks loose as Spike refers to himself as 'William' and thinks that Angel is his 'Daddy'. Rated for mild language (wouldn't want to scar young Will's ears would we?) RnR!
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: N'kay, this was something that I've wanted to write since finishing the Buffy and Angel series and hey, who doesn't like Daddy!Angel and Child!Spike? A few OC's but nothing really earth-shattering. RnR please!  
**

Zephyr smirked darkly, looking down at his handiwork, "Well, well, that was easier than I thought possible."

The tiny vampire huddled at his feet whined loudly and sobbed, Zephyr only chuckled, leaning down and grinning to show his long teeth,

"Oh, what's the matter, Childe? Afraid of Uncle Zephyr? Well, that won't do, why don't we play a game?"

The Childe looked up at the older vampire, blinking his large blue eyes and snuffling, "I . . . I loike games." He whispered in a thick British accent.

"Heh, me too! Let's play Hide and Go Stake!" Zephyr snickered at the look of terror on the Childe's face, "What's the matter? I thought you _liked _ga-"

"That is quite enough, Zephyr." A deep voice intoned from the other end of the shadowy room, "William, come here."

The boy, William, scrambled to his feet and ran out of the pentagram chalked on the floor and to the figure, clutching at his pantleg. Zephyr rolled his eyes,

"I was only teasing."

"Well, that's comforting." The tall ArchVampyre stepped out of the shadows, glaring his red eyes at the younger vampire, then looking down at William, he reached down and picked him up, "You always were a spoiled Childe, Zephyr."

Zephyr sighed exasperatedly, "Sire, I wasn't going to do anything, honest, I remember the plan."

Cyprus, Zephyr's Sire, looked up from rubbing William's back soothingly, "Then do your part and get out of the way. Angel must learn from his mistakes, now, Will, you are to go with Zephyr, he'll take you to your Sire.

Cyprus set Will down and looked at Zephyr, "And if anything should happen to him on the way, you will be punished, Zephyr."

Will reluctantly went to the tall blonde vampire, Zephyr snorted,

"Don't worry, Sire, we'll have a blast, not literally though, eh Willy?" He reached down and ruffled the boy's bleached blonde hair, grimacing at the way the gel felt on his fingers.

"I want my Daddy." Will snarled, thrusting out his lower lip and crossing his arms.

"Yeah yeah, shut it." Zephyr rolled his eyes again and grabbed Will's jacket.

* * *

"Now, you wait right here and your Sire will be along, yeh?" Zephyr instructed, pinning the note to Will's jacket and tugging his hood on, "And don't leave this spot or I'll come back and we'll play again."

Will shuddered, hugging onto the suitcase that Zephyr had left behind, he nodded rapidly and ducked his head. Zephyr laughed and turned, disappearing down an alley.

* * *

Angel groaned, "Look, we took care of it, I don't know why you're so put out about the whole thing."

Cordelia glared at him, "That _thing_ wanted to make me its, and I quote, 'Pretty little pole toy'! Why do I get stuck pressing the creeps for information?"

"Because generally they find you more appealing." Wesley rolled his eyes then stopped, "Angel, look."

Angel's eyes followed where Wesley was pointed and stopped his gaze on a huddled figure on the front steps of their building, he quickly walked up to the kid,

"Hey, are you o-"

"Daddy!" The child rocketed off the steps and into Angel's legs, "See? I sat right where he told me and you came back!"

Angel froze when the child turned his face up to him, " . . . Spike?!"

Will/Spike blinked up at Angel, " . . . no, we didn't play that game, but Zephyr said we would if I wasn't good."

* * *

"Okay so let me hear the note again." Angel said, looking into his office where Tiny Spike was scribbling on a piece of paper.

Wesley cleared his throat and read it again,

'Dearest Angel,

You're no doubt wondering what is going on and how and why. Let me elaborate on

The answers to your questions, vast as they may be. Firstly, how: this is simple, my

Favored Childe, Zephyr, trapped William and put a spell on him, thus regressing him

Body and mind into his four-year-old self. Secondly, why: this isn't the easiest to

Explain, but I'm hoping your intelligence will help you see what point I'm trying to make,

You've failed, Angel, failed to be the responsible Sire I thought you were, so, I'm giving

You this opportunity to redeem yourself and relearn the meaning of the word, 'parenting'.

Until I feel you've learned your lesson, William, aka Spike, will remain as he is.

Regards,

Cyprus'," Wesley finished reading and blinked, "I'm sorry, who is Cy-"

"Darla's Sire, one of the ArchVampyres." Angel sighed, "His Favored Childe is a vampire named Zephyr who was a powerful magic user before he got long in the tooth, pun intended. What gets me is why Spike since I Sired Druisilla not him."

"Well it would seem that your GrandSire is looking to punish old wrongs?" Wesley tapped his chin with the note, "You have to admit he's doing you a favor, making Spike easier to manage?"

"I don't know, Spike was always an overgrown toddler, I don't like the idea of him actually being one." Angel sighed, glancing at Cordelia, "This will not end well."

"Daddy?" Tiny Spike leaned out the office door, fidgeting his fingers.

Angel closed his eyes and sighed, "What?"

"I'm hungry." Tiny Spike whined, walking up to Angel and tugging on his hand, "I want ta _eat_!"

"Yeah, way more manageable." Angel muttered, glaring at Wesley.

* * *

Will stared down at the mug as it steamed, "It smells funny."

"That's because it's pig's blood. Eat it." Angel leaned against his oven, arms crossed.

Will wrinkled his nose and pouted, "No."

"Spi- William, eat your dinner or go to bed hungry, I really don't care." Angel rolled his eyes and grit his teeth.

Will looked down at the mug and took the straw in his mouth, took the tiniest of possible sips and blanched, "I's gross! I'm not eatin' it!"

Angel just about lost what was left of his patience, "Fine! Then go hungry!" He reached over and took the mug, emptying the contents into the sink.

Will stared at him wide-eyed and then scowled, harrumphing and pouting to the sofa and throwing himself on it. Angel groaned and washed the cup, glaring at the wasted blood then looking back at where he could see Will's feet sticking over the arm of the sofa.

Angel left Will alone while he cleaned up, did some paperwork, and got ready for bed, he looked at Will's feet which hadn't moved a bit,

"Will, it's time for bed, come on." Angel called.

The feet moved and Will sat up, his little bleached blonde head barely visible over the top of the couch, he hopped down and went to the suitcase he had come with, pulling out a pair of feety-pajamas with little yellow stars on a dark blue background printed all over them, they got changed in silence until Angel felt a small hand tugging on his shirt,

"What?"

"I can' get it." Will mumbled, lowering his eyes, "It got stuck . . . "

Angel was about to snap 'what?' when he looked down and saw the zipper still undone on the pajamas, he sighed and knelt down, tugging the zipper up, being careful not to pinch Will's skin at the same time,

"There. Now go to bed."

Will stood waiting expectantly, looking up at Angel with his large blue eyes. Angel blinked, "What is it now?"

"I 'ave to brush my teeth." Will said, rummaging in his bag until he came out with a toothbrush, he held it out for Angel, "Will you 'elp me, Daddy?"

Angel blinked tiredly and looked longingly at his bed, "Can't you do it yourself?"

"Papa Cyprus said you hafta 'elp me." Will insisted, taking a step closer to Angel.

Angel groaned and nodded, "Alright, fine, come on." He took the persistent toothbrush and led the way to the bathroom, picking Will up and setting him on the bathroom counter next to the sink.

Brushing Will's fangs proved an interesting and stressful task, Will first complained about the toothpaste, then he squirmed and wouldn't open his mouth wide enough then he missed the sink and spat out the toothpaste all over the faucet. Needless to say, Angel was more tired, irate, and all around not a happy camper and Will was all wound up.

Angel picked the small vampire up and set him on the couch, "Now, go to sleep!"

Will blinked up at Angel, watching over the back of the sofa while Angel went into his bedroom, "Can' I 'ave a story?"

"No." Angel snapped and flopped onto his bed, closing his eyes and willing himself to sleep.

Will sat on the couch, blinking down at his hands and trying to stay awake and mad at Daddy, but his eyelids drooped and he curled up around a throw-pillow, closing his eyes and drifting off.

* * *

Angel woke the next morning to a loud crashing sound in the kitchen, he sat bolt upright and rushed out of his room, only to find Will kneeling on the floor trying to pick up a broken mug. He looked up at Angel with abject fear in his eyes, he stood up rapidly, clutching his hands to his chest,

"I-It was an accident!" Will whined, biting his lip.

Angel sighed, "It's just a mug, okay? Don't get all up-" He stopped when he looked down at the mug, there were spots of blood on the shards, and it didn't smell like pig either. The brunette looked up at Will and at the drops of scarlet dripping down his little arms and soaking his pajamas, "Will, are you hurt?"

Will bit his lip and opened his hands, bits of ceramic were caught in the soft pads of his fingers and palms, little stripes of blood were making channels along the creases of Will's hands, " . . . no."

Angel grimaced, "Okay, let me just get the first aid kit." He picked Will up and set him on the table, "Don't move, alright?"

Will nodded and bit his lip, staring down at the blood on his hands, "I'm sorry, Daddy . . . I was 'ungry."

Angel nodded, pulling the kit out from the bathroom cupboard, "Yep."

"And you were sleepin'."

"Yep."

"And you got mad at me last time . . . "

"Ye-" Angel stopped and closed his eyes, "Not . . . mad okay? Just frustrated."

"Wot's that mean?" Will asked, looking up at Angel while the brunette got out several spools of gauze and medical tape, some tweezers, and ointment.

"It means that when you don't do what Daddy says, he gets upset and doesn't know what to do." Angel mumbled, looking down at Will's hands, "Okay, this'll sting a bi-"

"OW!" Will yelped, bursting into tears and pulling his hand out of Angel's grasp.

"C'mon Will, it'll only hurt for a bi-"

"No!" Will scrambled off the table and ran up the stairs to the office, Angel leaped after him,

"Will, come on! Just let me-"

Cordelia raised an eyebrow at Angel as Will clutched at her pant leg, sobbing his heart out,

"Daddy's tryin' ta hurt me!"

"Okay, this is not how it looks, or sounds or anything else." Angel said slowly.

"Oh yeah? Cuz it looks and sounds like a little boy with bloody hands on my new pair of jeans." Cordelia glared at Angel and knelt down, "Okay, Willy, what happened?"

"I was 'ungry an' I went ta get myself some food an' I broke a cup an' then Daddy hurt my hands!" Will wailed, wiping his eyes on his sleeve.

"I was trying to get the shards out of his hands." Angel explained.

"I see, well, Willy, let's take a look, okay?" Cordelia lifted the small boy up and set him on the desk, "Ooh, ouchie! That looks like it hurts! I know, how about, I make it better and maybe see about some ice cream, would you like that?"

Will nodded excitedly, wincing when his hands throbbed, "Yes, please!"

"See? It just takes the right touch, bonehead." Cordelia scowled at Angel and grabbed the kit from her desk, "Okay, Will, now, this'll hurt but if you're a brave boy it'll only be for a teensy little while."

Will bit his lip, shrinking away a bit, "It . . . already hurts."

"Well, maybe your daddy would _come over here and hold you_?" Cordelia jerked her chin over at Angel.

Angel blinked and moved over to the desk, lifting Will up into his lap and sitting down, Will pushed back into Angel, whining when a sliver of mug was pulled out,

"Owie!" Will bit his lip and turned his head into Angel's chest.

Angel blinked, looking down at Will, one hand slid up, gently stroking Will's head while the other moved around his waist, "Shh, it's . . . it's okay, I've got you."

Will snuffled and squeezed his eyes shut, "I'm sorry, Daddy . . . I'll be good."

"I know, Will, I know, it's alright . . . just a mug." Angel murmured, watching Cordelia wrap Will's hands up in gauze, "See? All better."

Will blinked and then pressed his bandaged hands lightly on Angel's chest, "I . . . missed you Daddy . . . before."

Angel blinked, that had been Adult-Spike's voice . . . not Tiny Spike's. He and Cordelia looked at each other then back at Will, the boy blinked up at Angel and smiled,

"What's wrong, Daddy?"

Angel stared at him, back to Tiny Spike . . . "Nothing, it's alright, why don't you get changed and then Cordy will see about that ice cream?"

The Childe hopped off Angel's lap and scampered down the stairs to the apartment, Cordelia blinked,

"What's it mean?"

"I don't know," Angel shook his head, "Yet."

**A/N: I'm getting multi-chap vibes from this, but lemme know what ya think!**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: As I suspected, my muse would not shut up! So, here's another chapter for you! RnR if ya please! A lot of things will be explained in this chappy and be forewarned, there will be mentioning of abuse, Zephyr is NOT a good person, okay?**

Angel shoved the bag into the backseat, "Look, I'll only be gone for a short while, I hope, I have to speak to Buffy and the others about this."

"Alright, we'll hold down the fort until you get back." Wesley smiled encouragingly.

Cordelia adjusted Will's coat while the little boy pouted miserably at the pavement, "Don't worry, I'll look after him, no problemo!"

Angel nodded and looked down at the small vampire, who snuffled hugely and wouldn't meet Angel's eyes, the dark-haired vampire sighed and knelt down, "Hey, it'll be okay. I'll only be gone a few days, alright? You need to look after Wesley and Cordy, can you do that?"

Will wouldn't look at him, Angel smiled, poking him in the tummy, "Come on, Willy, doesn't Daddy get a hug good-bye?"

Will bit his lip and nodded, putting his small arms around Angel's neck, "You'll come back, roight?"

"Yep, just have to go talk to my friends about all this." Angel nodded and stood up.

"I could go with ya!" Will said desperately, his eyes shining as he grasped at Angel's hand, "I could 'elp with wotever it is you need ta do! Really!"

Angel sighed, "No, you stay here where it's relatively safe. I'll call when I get there."

Will stuck out his lower lip, "But, but- No, Daddy!"

The car door closed and Angel waved out the window as he pulled away, Will stood still for maybe three seconds before he started snuffling and whimpering. Cordelia reached down and lifted him up, hugging him tight, "Don't worry, your Daddy is the toughest vamp out there, no one can hurt him!"

Will nodded and closed his eyes, nuzzling into Cordelia's neck, "I'm hungry."

Cordelia immediately held him out at arm's length, "Right, we'll get you something besides me to munch on."

* * *

Will sat at Angel's desk and doodled away, wincing at his still-bandaged fingers, he bit his lip and sighed, letting his head thump on the desk. Cordelia didn't look up as she smiled,

"If someone's bored maybe they could help me out."

Will lifted his head and scurried into the room, "I . . . I could 'elp."

"Oh you could?" Cordelia acted surprised, "Well, why don't'cha come on up here and maybe we can find this demon that Wesley's trying to find.

Will sat up on her lap and looked at the screen, "Wot 'bout that one?"

"Hm, not ugly enough, ours has three horns and tentacles." Cordelia pouted her lips in thought, "Hmm."

"Umms . . . wot 'bout that one?" Will pointed at another picture as it popped up.

"Nope, scaly skin, not furry."

The game went on for nearly half an hour, a lot longer than Cordelia normally took but it kept Will occupied and that was when she noticed something.

"Hey, Willy, how old would you be? Six? Seven? It's just . . . I thought you were littler than this." She ran a hand over his back gently, thinking hard about something.

"I dunno . . . can I call Daddy?" He asked, hopping off her lap.

"Sure, go right ahead." Cordelia puzzled this then shrugged and pushed the phone toward Will.

Will quickly dialed and waited, then,

"Hello?"

"Hullo Daddy!" Will's face lit up, "Wot'cha doin'?"

"Well at the moment I was in a meeting. Are you doing okay? Cordelia being nice?"

"Oh yeh, I go to her place an' play checkers with Phantom Dennis an' we watch the telly. She won't let me stay up though . . . Umms, Daddy?"

"Yeah?"

"Are you comin' home soon? I miss you." Will bit his lip and twirled the phone cord around his fingers.

"Pretty quick here, sport, don't worry. I may have to bring you here though, my friends want to get a look at you."

"Wh-hy?" Will asked, furrowing his brow.

"Just because maybe they can . . . nevermind, okay? I'll talk to you later, Will."

"Okay, I love you Daddy! Be safe!" Will waited for Angel to reply.

" . . . Erm, same to you kiddo." Angel mumbled awkwardly and hung up.

Will bit his lip and hung up the phone, he looked at Cordelia, "Can I go outside?"

"If you promise to stay near the building, yes." Cordelia nodded and watched Tiny Spike walk to the door, grabbing his coat and closing the door behind him.

* * *

Will walked slowly along the alley, he was still on the block that Angel's building was on so it seemed near to the building, he kicked a can along the pavement, mulling over what was going on, until he bumped into someone, he looked up slowly,

"Oh, s-sorry, mist-" He froze and stared at the demon, three horns, tentacles, and scaly skin, "Eep!"

The demon snickered and leaned down, grinning widely and showing off massive fang-age, "Well what have we here? Far from home are you?"

Will backed up slowly, "N-No, my Daddy's building is roight 'round 'ere!" He gestured behind him frantically.

"Oh, is that right?" It chuckled and moved closer, its tentacles reaching toward Will, "And what are you doing out alone at night? Aren't you afraid of the dark?"

Will pursed his lips and glared at the demon, "No, I am not afraid, I'm a vampire loike my daddy!" He morphed into his demon face and snarled at his attacker, only to squeal loudly as a tentacle wrapped around his ankle and lifted him into the air, "P-Put me down!"

The creature laughed maliciously, "Looks like someone wet himself. I think I'll just eat you now, children are so tender and delicious, even the little demon ones."

Will squealed in distress when the demon's jaw unhinged and revealed a maw of salivating fangs and a long slimy tongue, It was just about to lower a struggling Will into his mouth when a stake embedded in its arms, it shrieked and dropped Will, turning murderous eyes on its attacker.

"Will, come here by me please!" Wesley shouted, loading his crossbow and firing at the demon's eyes while the blonde boy rushed up to hide behind him.

The thing reared and was just rushing forward when Wesley finally got a bolt into its eye, making it shriek and writhe as it died. Wesley nodded in satisfaction then knelt down next to Will who was shaking and covering his head with his hands,

"There now, it's gone, nothing to be afraid of." Wesley patted Will's head and sighed, "Come on, we'll get you home and everything will be alright."

Will stood up slowly, "I w-want D-Daddy."

"I'll give him a call and maybe he'll be able to get here sooner." Wesley assured, putting a hand on the vampire child's back, "In the meantime, you need to get cleaned up."

* * *

Will sat in the bathtub fifteen minutes later at Cordelia's place, he could hear Cordelia and Wesley talking in the living room about him and the demon. Then Will's ducky started to float in front of his face, he smiled when it touched its beak to his nose,

"Hi Dennis . . . I roightly screwed up t'day . . . " He mumbled, taking the ducky and holding it, "Daddy wouldn' 'ave gotten scared . . . 'e's the toughest bloke out there . . . and I'm-"

The bathwater splashed Will in the face, making him sputter and wipe at his eyes.

"Hey! No fair Dennis, I can' see you!" Will growled, but then he sighed, "You're roight, I'm just a liddle kid . . . and that's that."

The water started to swirl around and the bubbles flew up in the air, Will grinned and started trying to pop them. Cordelia stepped into the bathroom,

"No making a mess of my bathroom, boys!"

"Sorry, Cordy." Will smiled up at her, "Umms, is Daddy comin' home?"

"Yes, he's coming home, on his way now in fact." Cordelia reached down and picked out a fluffy towel from the cupboard and held it out for Will, "Okay, out you get."

* * *

Will curled up under the quilt that Cordelia tucked around him, and closed his large blue eyes, "Will Daddy be home soon?"

"Yep, he'll be by later, I'll wake you up when he gets here, how's that sound?" She looked down at the small vampire.

"Good . . . " Will yawned hugely, "G'night Cordy . . . g'night Dennis . . . "

* * *

Four hours later Angel knocked on Cordelia's door, she opened it quickly, looking a tad unkempt in sweats and a tanktop,

"Hey, how is he?"

"Oh, besides the terror of getting a heart attack every two hours because of a screaming little boy with nightmares, I'm fine! Thanks for asking!" Cordelia moved aside and let Angel in, "He's a little traumatized, Angel."

Angel stepped into the living area, the lights were on dim but the curtains were closed, and there was Will fast asleep on the couch, his blonde hair sticking in every direction and his hands were clutching tightly onto the blanket that was tangled around him. The dark-haired vampire slowly moved into the room, sighing heavily at the long day he'd had, he reached out a hand and stroked Will's head only for the child to jolt awake,

"Hey, sport, how you been?"

Will's eyes flew open and he immediately grasped at Angel, "Daddy!"

"Heard you took on a Demon? Now what'd I tell you about picking on guys your own size, champ?" Angel sighed and ran a hand over Will's back, "You can't go walking around on your own, Will."

"I-I'm sorry, Daddy . . . he was so scary!" Will mumbled, "Wesley got him but he was gonna make a snack outta me!"

"Heh, good ol' Wes, well, don't you worry kiddo we'll-" Angel stopped and stared at Will, the pajamas were too small . . .

Cordelia cleared her throat from the doorway and nodded toward the kitchen, Angel tucked Will back in and went after her,

"I was going to tell you about that, ever since you left, he grew a few inches." She said softly, "Now, I don't know if that means the spell is wearing off or what."

"Well, there's one way of finding out, I could go talk to Cyprus." Angel murmured, "Of course that would mean finding him and that-"

Angel's cellphone started to ring, he warily answered it when the little screen said 'unknown caller',

"Hello?"

"Angel."

Angel growled, "Cyprus, are your ears burning? We were just talking about you."

"I know, you don't seem to realize how close I keep my progeny." Cyprus sighed on the other end, "I'm more than willing to answer your questions, would you care to meet? I'd tell you everything now but these infernal contraptions are beyond me I fear."

"How does right now at my office sound?" Angel offered, feeling his gums itch with anticipation.

"Of course, will you bring William along or are you coming alone?"

"Kid's bushed, besides, I don't much like the idea of him 'playing' with Zephyr again while we talk."

There was silence on the other end for a moment then the tight reply, "I understand. I will see you there." Then Cyprus hung up.

"I don't get it, Zephyr _plays_ with people? What like torture?" Cordelia asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Try molestation. Zephyr isn't like Cyprus, he's evil and malicious and he loves little boys." Angel snarled, "And sounds to me like he made Will play one of his little 'games'."

Cordelia blanched, "Oh dear God . . . that's disgusting!"

"Ye-ah, keep Will safe, okay? I'll be back before the sun sets." Angel turned and left.

* * *

Zephyr snickered when he saw Angel coming out of the lift, he was tall, slim, with wavy blonde hair that was cut short and bright gray eyes, he sat up more on Angel's desk,

"Ach, you didn't bring my liddle playmate!" He huffed, hopping down and sauntering over to Angel, leaning close and tilting his head up to look at the dark-haired vampire through lowered lids, "He squealed when we played my game, begged me to stop . . . it was adorable, yanno? I wanted him to scream but didn't have time t-"

"Get out of my face before I break yours." Angel snarled, feeling his fangs lengthen, "You ever go near Will again, and I'll tear you to pieces!"

"Oh, you hear that Sire, he said he'd-"

"Enough," Cyprus hissed from the other office, Angel could see him standing off to the side, "I warned you, Zephyr, I've punished you once . . . don't make me kill you."

Zephyr blinked and then growled, skulking to the couch against the wall and muttering darkly in German. Angel watched as Cyprus moved slowly into the office, Angel lowered his eyes for a moment before taking a breath and looking up at Cyprus. The ArchVampyre was tall and well-muscled, his pale skin stretched over his flesh in exquisite detail, blood-red eyes gleamed at him and the creature's thick dark hair was pulled into a neat ponytail. To top it off he didn't look a day over thirty-five.

"Cyprus, if you ever let that beast near Will, I'll-"

Cyprus held up his hand, "I assure you, had I known that Zephyr would give in to his more disgusting habits, I would not have let William leave with him. If he does attempt such a thing again, I will show him the light."

Angel was stunned, he blinked, "I thought Zeph in there was your Favored Childe?"

"He is, but for his power, not his personality. I detest his . . . _desires _. . . and the insult that he would commit such a thing on one of my lineage is beyond reproach. Don't worry, Angel, he was severely dealt with, he only just regained consciousness in time to accompany me." Cyprus's eyes gleamed dangerously and he crossed his arms.

"Okay, why are you doing this?" Angel asked, leaning on his desk.

"You know why. On to less obvious questions." Cyprus waved his hand.

"What's happening to Spike?" Angel tried.

"Ah, yes, well, I'm a firm believer in rewarding good behavior. You see, you and William both have something to learn, Angel, and by working together you both will be released from this little lesson. William has isolated himself from you, his GrandSire and you have successfully ignored his existence when you should be guiding him, since Druisilla is no longer, shall we say, available? So, to alleviate such grievances, I've had Zephyr put this spell on William, it is very specific and cannot be broken by normal means."

"Okay . . . so what? I have to learn to be a good Sire and Spike has to learn to trust again? Is that it?" Angel threw his hands up in exasperation, "That'll take years!"

"No, you've already seen the effects of one simple step in the right direction." Cyprus shook his head, "The more you learn, the more I reward. You would note that I was generous with giving William back some control to tell you something he's been dying, almost literally, to tell you? And he's aged quite a bit since being left on your doorstep."

Angel blinked, "That's the reward . . . ? What about me?"

"Well, William can't do it on his own, he needs you. And that is your reward."

"What? To be annoyed to a second death with his constant whining and complaining and crying and . . . " Angel looked at him, "What is my reward in all this?"

"I've given you someone you can love and hold and take care of without the fear of your former self breaking loose. You've longed for companionship and William will love you unconditionally and without thought. I didn't put any ideas into his head about who you were. I had intended to introduce you to him as his Sire and leave it grow from there but," Cyprus smiled, "He surprised me by asking for his 'Daddy'. He wanted you, Angel, he knew who you were to him and that's your reward."

Angel stared at him in shock, "Why are you . . . ?"

"Because unlike other vampires, I care very deeply for those in my blood line, you, Zephyr, William . . . you're all I have left and I'm too old to start again." Cyprus sighed and reached out a hand, putting it on Angel's cheek.

Angel surprised himself by leaning into the slightly colder hand, he'd met Cyprus many times, he'd known that the ArchVampyre was different, at one time he thought him old and foolish, an idealistic moron . . . but now that Angel had a soul, he understood.

Angel closed his eyes, "Thank you, Cyprus."

Cyprus nodded, "You're welcome," He pulled back, lifting his head, "Now, don't go to thinking that you can finish the lessons as quickly as you did this first turn! I merely wanted you to understand how this would work, he won't jump in age that rapidly again, this will take time."

"I understand. Well, you have my number and address, I'm sure we'll be in touch." Angel nodded and turned to go downstairs.

"Oh and don't worry, Angel, Zephyr will behave." Cyprus's eyes glowed dangerously and Angel shuddered when he felt the power radiate off the Demon, he nodded and quickly closed the door behind him.

**A/N: Yup, I wanted to foodle with the storyplot a bit. I hated to do that to Tiny Spike, but bear in mind we're dealing with Demons and evil vampires here! Not everyone is a good person! Thus, Zephyr's habit (for lack of a word to better describe how sickening it is) and never fear, I'll take care of it.**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: And now some mischief, mayhem, and Daddy & Will snuggles! And things will progress through the seasons of Angel as we go along, n'kay? N'kay! RnR if you please!  
**

Angel lifted Will into his arms and sighed, looking at Cordelia, "Thanks for watching him, but I think I'll take him home now."

She nodded, "Okay, feel free to leave him any time, Dennis just loved having a little pal around."

The lights blinked as if Dennis was agreeing and Angel smirked, "Okay, I'll see you at the office, bye."

Angel shifted Will's weight more securely and ducked into the sewers, making his way home with the snoring boy clinging to his shirt. He pushed up the tunnel cover and climbed up into his apartment. He was about to put Will on the couch when he blinked and stared down at the blonde boy, he nodded and went into his bedroom, turning down the blankets and setting Will down on the bed, then turned and pulled off his own clothes.

He went back to the bed wearing his black lounge pants and a beater, climbing in next to Will and turning off the light, he rolled onto his side and stared at the sleeping Childe.

"I'm sorry," He whispered, "I'm sorry I abandoned you last time, I'm sorry you were alone . . . It's really all my fault this happened."

Angel was about to go on with his internal self-loathing but then Will curled into him, his hands reaching out and grasping at Angel and the little vampire started to purr softly, making the older man blink in surprise and smile,

" . . . It'll be okay, sweetheart, we'll get through this." Angel rolled onto his side and snuggled Will against him, "I promise."

* * *

"Daddy? . . . Daddy . . . Da-addy!" Will poked Angel in the face again, but the brunette refused to wake up, he only rolled over and mumbled about cake. Will huffed and shrugged, climbing to the edge of the bed and hopping down. He yawned and stretched, tugging off his pajamas, a little miffed that they were too small for him, and went about digging some clothes out of his suitcase. He got himself dressed in a black t-shirt and jeans and went into the kitchen, looking around until he found a clean mug, Will tapped his chin and hummed as he opened the kitchen,

" . . . pig or . . . pig?" He asked himself, giggling behind his hand so as not to wake Angel.

The little blonde pulled a bag out of the fridge and stared at the dark red, almost black, liquid as it sloshed about . . . he grimaced and shrugged, setting it up on the table next to his mug, he tried to open the bag a little but the knot was slippery and really tight, he glanced around until his eyes fell on the knife block, he grinned and hopped up onto the counter to pick out a sharp-and-pointy. Will grabbed a steak knife then climbed carefully back down, he held the bag in one hand and the knife in the other and stabbed into the plastic with one vicious jab, moving his mug quickly to catch the blood that spurted out. There was just one problem: sure his mug was full, but the blood didn't stop.

Will's eyes widened and he bit his lip at the puddle that started to form, "Uh oh . . . " he glanced at Angel, still fast asleep then he opened the fridge and put the bag in it, closing the door quickly and breathing out slowly. He smirked and chucked the knife into the sink, mopped up the puddle with a paper towel, and put his mug in the microwave.

"Ummmmms . . . . " Will stared at all the buttons, then shrugged and pressed a few, then pushed the big 'START' button, smiling with satisfaction as the appliance whirred into life, "There!"

The boy went into the living room and sat on the sofa, glancing about for something to do, then he saw one of Angel's thick tomes, he opened it up and blinked at the pictures of demons, "Bo-oring!"

He groaned and was about to snap the book shut when his eyes fell on a box of crayons Cordelia bought for him, his face broke out in a smile and he swiped them off the coffee table, dumping them out next to the book.

* * *

Angel woke to the worst smell since he didn't know when, he groaned and sat up, rubbing at his eyes and wrinkling his nose, "Ugh, Will, you smell that?"

He glanced down at where the blonde had been sleeping, "Will?"

Angel got up and he could hear a popping sound, a wet, nasty popping sound, he stumbled into the kitchen to see the microwave's door spattered with dark liquid and there was blood leaking out of the bottom of the fridge, "What the he- ? Will?"

Angel turned off the microwave, grimacing at the smell of burnt blood and quickly went about cleaning up the mess around the fridge, opening it only to groan and look toward the heavens for patience then he threw out the punctured bag and started cleaning up the mess of wasted blood. He was about to yell for that boy to get his ass in there and explain when he heard a loud snore coming from the living room.

Angel blinked and went in, looking over the sofa and there was Will, fast asleep with his head on a book, thumb wedged firmly in his mouth, Angel was about to smile and just forget that he was pissed for once, until his eyes landed on the book, his jaw dropped,

"Will!" He snapped.

The blonde jolted awake with a start, quickly pulling his thumb out of his mouth and wiping it on his shirt, he sat up and smiled up at Angel but the smile quickly turned into a scrunched mask of disgust,

"Ugh, Daddy, wot's that smell?" He plugged his nose and grimaced.

"Okay, the bag of blood, the fridge, the microwave, those are simple mistakes, those I can handle," Angel said, his voice dangerously calm, "But you _COLORED _in my anthology of Sumerian Demons?"

Will blinked then looked down at the book, smiling uncertainly at Angel, "I tried ta keep in the lines . . . " He explained, looking down at the demon he had almost finished, it was purple and green and blue now.

Angel closed his eyes and took a deep breath, "Will . . . that book is over a hundred years old and there are only seven that I know are still in one piece . . . and you colored in it."

Will stared at Angel then he started to get the idea, "But . . . but it was all black an' white an' boring an-"

Angel stalked around the couch and swiped the book off the floor, watching Will scurry toward a corner before he started to assess the damage, to his dismay Will chose to start at the beginning of the book and was almost to the middle before he decided to take a nap, and not only did he color the Demon profiles, he decided to make some alterations, giving some 'smiley faces' and others new body parts, extra horns, or hairstyles.

" . . . 'm sorry, Daddy." Will mumbled, biting his lip miserably, "I-It looked loike the colorin' book Cordy bought me . . . "

Angel snapped the book shut and looked at Will for a second before taking an unneeded breath then he shook his head and put the book on a higher shelf, "You see these?" He gestured to the bookshelves lined with old, worn volumes.

Will nodded frantically, his eyes welling up already, "Y-Yes, Daddy."

"These are _mine_, do you understand? You are not allowed to touch my things, they are very old and very expensive and I don't want you destroying any more of them!" Angel didn't realize his voice had risen until Will burst into tears and kept nodding, "Go in the kitchen and sit down at the table and don't touch anything!"

Will scurried out of the room while Angel closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose, "I did not sign up for this . . . "

* * *

Angel finished cleaning the microwave out, grumbling the entire time at the dried gunk caked all over the place and ignoring the snuffling coming from the table behind him. He finally got the last of it then he heard someone coming downstairs.

"Wow, not even out of your pj's?"

Angel turned his death-glare on Cordelia, "I would be if I had the sense to chain that one up every day."

Will shrank in his seat and sniffed hugely, wringing his hands under the table, Cordelia blinked, "He just got home, what could he possibly . . . hang on, what _is _that smell?"

"Well, that would be dried, burnt blood from Will's attempt to make himself breakfast, or are you referring to the gallon bag of pig's blood he spilled all over the floor and inside the fridge? Or maybe you mean the smoke coming out of my ears from my brain frying when I found out he doodled all over one of my _ancient_ books?" Angel ranted.

Will burst into fresh tears and covered his face with his hands, "I s-said I was s-sorry!"

"Sorry doesn't replace irreplaceable books, Will." Angel snapped, he looked at Cordelia, "What?"

"Oh well I was just waiting to see when the volcano would cool off long enough to see how stupid it looks." She crossed her arms and popped a hip, tilting her head in that way that screamed 'disapproval'.

"Wait, are you saying I'm the one that's the problem?" Angel snapped incredulously.

Cordelia glared at him then grabbed his wrist and dragged him into the other room, "Okay, number one way to break a child's heart? Call them a problem."

"Cordelia, he-"

"Is a little kid, and while being a child may be too far back for you to remember, the rest of us are bright and shiny from that era. Will is behaving like a little kid behaves, he tries to do things on his own because he wants to be a 'big boy' like Daddy and he tries to impress you the only way he can think of. So he colored in a goddamn book, so what? So he blew up the microwave, so what? He has feelings too and your words are hurtful enough."

Angel stared at her for a moment, "Then what?"

"Go in there, tell him it's okay, that they're just things and they aren't important. Remember the mug he broke? Same diff."

"But, that was just a mug, the book-"

"Still functions as a book," Cordelia rolled her eyes, "He didn't light it on fire or rip the pages, he just colored it, to make it pretty probably."

Angel bit his lip and nodded, "Okay . . . "

"Angel, try to put things into perspective, alright? When you were gone those few days Will would not shut up about you, he kept asking when you were coming back and how much longer and blah, blah, blah." Cordelia sighed and looked over at the kitchen where Will was slumped over the table with his forehead on his arms.

Angel blinked, thinking about what Cyprus had said, "Unconditionally . . . alright, I can do that."

He took a slow breath and went back into the kitchen, Will looked up and then immediately lowered his eyes, Angel squatted down next to him, "Hey, Will, I'm . . . I'm sorry I got upset with you."

"I didn' mean ta make a mess . . . " Will mumbled, turning in his chair and rubbing his knees.

"I know, it's okay . . . it's just . . . stuff." Angel said, tilting his head to try and catch Will's eyes, "And you're more important than stuff."

Will blinked and slowly looked at Angel, "I goofed 'gain, didn' I, Daddy?"

Angel chuckled and ruffled Will's hair, realizing that it was starting to turn to it's original color again, "We all goof, kiddo, not a big deal, that's how we learn. Can we be pals again?"

Will nodded and smiled a little, nodding, "Okay."

"Alright, come here." Angel pulled Will into his arms, feeling the little body cling onto him tightly, he was about to let go when his boy trembled slightly and Angel realized he was crying, "Hey, come on now, what's with this? It's okay, I fixed everything right?"

Will nodded and sat back, wiping at his eyes, " . . . you can color in my colorin' book if you want, Daddy."

Angel chuckled and nodded, "Okay, fair trade, let's get you something to eat, sound good?"

Will nodded and hopped off his chair to retrieve a mug from the cupboard.

* * *

Upstairs Angel was talking to a client about some trouble with an infestation of rat-like demons while Will sat behind Cordelia's desk and read a picture book, he looked up when the client scurried out of the office,

"Wot does Daddy do, 'xactly?" Will asked, looking up at Cordelia when she moved to put a file away.

"He helps the hopeless." Cordelia shrugged, "Sort of a knight in brooding armor thing he has going on."

"Oh." Will went back to his book then he glanced up again, "Cordy?"

"Mhm?" Cordelia looked over her paperwork and started scribbling away.

"Can I go out an' play?" Will stood up, looking down at her, "Please?"

"Remember what happened last time? You almost became a bite-sized snack. I think you should stay in." Cordelia glanced up at him.

"But, 'm bored!" Will whined, drumming his hands on her desk.

"William, please, I'm trying to work!" Cordelia grimaced, she hated yelling at the little guy but really?

Will groaned and went into Angel's office, "Daddy, can I go out an' play?"

"Hm, what did your babysitter say?" Angel asked without looking up.

Will rolled his eyes, "Nanny said 'no'."

"Well then, what'cha think I'll say?" Angel looked up, "'sides, you need to pack a bag, we're going to Sunnydale to visit some friends of mine."

Will blinked excitedly, "Okay!"

Angel watched him rush to the lift, when he was out of sight Wesley stepped in, "And why are you bringing him there?"

"Because it's safer, I don't like that he goes out all by himself, not in a big city like this where Demons are the least of my worries." Angel looked at Wesley, "He may be a vampire, but to anyone else, he's a little boy, easily abducted and I don't even want to think of what might happen then."

"You're talking mainly about Zephyr." Wesley observed.

"Yes, Zeph's been jealous of me and Spike for some time now, and the idea that he can get at both of us by hurting Will . . . the opportunity is what he would call 'delicious'."

"Rather unsavory character isn't he?" Wesley grimaced.

"You don't know the half." Angel said softly, shaking his head and grimacing when he heard something shatter downstairs.

**A/N: See, Angel is finally fitting into the proper role of 'Daddy' now, took him a bit but he's a quick learner. **


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Annnnnnd, we're off with more, umms, stuff! Yeah . . . RnR please!**

Will bounced excitedly up the stairs while Angel took the lift with their things, the little blonde burst through the door and grinned at Wesley,

"'m goin' on a trip with Daddy!" He sauntered into Cordelia's office grinned at her, leaning over her desk, "Can I have a good bye kiss, Cordy?"

Cordelia raised an eyebrow, "Well, look who's all smug."

"Cheeky little brat, isn't he?" Wesley shook his head in mock reproach at the seven year-old, "Your Daddy should've taught you how to treat a lady."

Will pouted, "I was only playin' . . . "

Cordelia smiled and leaned forward, pecking Will on the cheek, "There's your kiss."

Will's bit his lip and grinned, his cheeks flushing a little and he giggled. Angel pushed the lift doors open and raised an eyebrow,

"Ready to go, sport?" He asked, picking up the bags at his feet.

"Huh? Oh, yeh!" Will snapped out of his stupor and hurried over to help Angel, struggling to pick up his own small suitcase, "I got it!"

Angel hefted his bag and glanced at them, "Okay, you guys can handle things for a few days, right? I'll be back in less than a week, I hope."

"No problem, we'll be fine!" Wesley smiled reassuringly.

"Which means if we're about to be killed by Demons and Vampires and Goons, oh my, we'll call your cell." Cordelia smiled a little less reassuringly.

"Right . . . " Angel mumbled, looking after the rambunctious Will who finally managed to lug his bag out of the offices.

"Oi, Daddy, can I drive?"

"That's my cue," Angel grimaced, "See ya."

* * *

Will strained against the seatbelt, "Daddy?"

"Yeh?" Angel looked quickly over at him.

"Can I play some music?" Will reached for the radio.

"Uh, doesn't work." Angel sighed, they'd been on the road for only forty-five minutes and already the little terror was bored.

"O-kay . . . can we play a game?" Will asked hopefully.

"Such as?" Angel adjusted in his seat, his undead ass was starting to go numb . . . numb-er.

"Ummmms . . . how 'bout 'I Spy'?" Will suggested.

"Okay, you start." Angel smiled at Will's simplicity.

"N'kay, ummms, I spy with my lil eye sumthin' . . . . pointy!" Will grinned smugly and crossed his arms in triumph.

"A stake." Angel glanced at the assorted weaponry on the floor in the backseat.

"No fair! You cheated!" Will pouted and sighed, "Your turn."

"Okay, I spy with my little eye . . . " Angel glanced about quickly and smirked, "Something blue."

Will blinked, "Is it in the car?"

"Yep." Angel nodded, eyes back on the road.

"Um, is it liddle?" Will asked, scratching his head.

"Yep." Angel smiled to himself.

" . . . Iiiiiiiiis iiiiiiiit . . . this?" Will reached down and pulled out a brightly wrapped box.

"Now, where did that come from?" Angel smiled and sat back, "I figure you've been good for about five minutes so you deserve a-"

"Ooh! Daddy got me a prezzie!" Will giggled excitedly and tore the shiny, blue paper off, " . . . wot is it?"

"A Gameboy. I know I'll probably regret buying it . . . but it'll keep your grabby little paws out of trouble." Angel explained.

Will stared in wonder at the dark purple console and then at the three cartridges, "Pokemon Gold . . . Mortal Combat . . . an' Kirby an' the Magic Mirror. Oooh!"

Angel smiled, "I bought a pack of batteries too so you can play all you like."

Will shoved a cartridge in the slot and turned it on, and the theme music and constant bleeping gave Angel an instant headache,

"Sound off, please."

Will blinked and dialed down the sound, "Okay! Thank you Daddy!"

Angel sighed in relief at the silence that followed and would hopefully continue until the end of the trip.

* * *

Angel parked the car on the street outside of the Summers residence, looking down at the snoozing Will and then at the sky, it would be light out soon. He quickly got out and went around to the passenger side, pulling the door open and pulled Will to his chest and under his trench, he ran up to the house and knocked on the door,

"Buffy? It's me, Angel, let me in quick!"

The door opened on the blonde girl and Angel felt his dead heart do a flip-flop like it did every time he saw her,

"Come on in." She moved aside quickly and let the brunette vampire in, her eyes lingering on the sleeping boy under the trench, "Is that . . . ?"

"Yeah, he's asleep now, you got somewhere I can leave him?" Angel adjusted Will's deadweight and grimaced.

"Sure, put him on the couch, we're all in the kitchen." Buffy said, watching curiously as Angel put the sleeping boy down, "Wow . . . I kinda didn't believe you but seeing him like that it's . . . "

"Takes some getting used to, yeah." Angel nodded, pulling off his coat and draping it over Will, watching as the Childe curled up into the coat, his thumb finding its way into his mouth, "Right, Scooby meeting?"

"Yep, come on."

* * *

Xander blinked, "Okay, so Spike is all bite-sized as well as bite-y and won't go back to normal until you and him resolve some centuries old Daddy-issues?"

"Yeah that about sums it up. But, he's not safe in LA, I was hoping we could stay in Sunnydale until I get this sorted, otherwise some of Spike's old enemies may choose to do him in." Angel explained, rubbing the mug of tea in front of him.

"And that's a bad thing how?" Xander raised an eyebrow.

"Because right now, Spike isn't Spike, he's William and William is a little boy that sucks his thumb, cries when he's upset, and likes wearing footy pajamas." Angel snapped, "He doesn't know who he really is or who you people are or why some really bad Demons want to make him into a snack, that's why, vampire or not, he's innocent right now."

"So, you want permission to raise him in Sunnydale?" Giles asked, replacing his glasses after a thorough polishing.

Angel sighed, "Yes, for a little while until I can manage to get things back to our brand of normal."

"Well, I don't see why not," Joyce said softly,"If he is a harmless little boy then I think we can manage him."

"Thank you, besides, he's not teething or anything, he drinks pig's blood, albeit with the complaining and whining, but still. And he's not a bad kid just . . . mischievous." Angel said, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Okay, so, you want him here or at Spike's old crypt?" Buffy asked, glancing at her mother uneasily.

"Here if that's okay, the crypt is in the cemetery which isn't safe, especially for half-pint." Angel sighed, "I hate to impose . . . but I worry about him and the last times he was on his own it didn't end well."

"Sounds agreeable, is he still sleeping or can we talk to h-" Giles stopped and nodded toward the door.

They all turned and there was Will, clutching Angel's coat tightly, "Daddy . . . where are we?"

"Oh my God . . . isn't he the sweetest thing?" Joyce put a hand to her mouth and smiled.

"Wow," Xander blinked, "I didn't think fiends were ugly as kids and adults."

Will blinked at Xander and then went over to Angel, grabbing at his hand, "Can I bite the fat one?"

"Hey!" Xander snapped, glaring at all the giggling Scoobies.

"Uh, no, Will, you can't bite Xander." Angel grimaced.

"Who are these people?" Will asked, moving closer to Angel and ducking his head.

"These are my friends, well, some of them, we'll be staying with them for a bit, okay?" Angel picked Will up and set him on his lap, "This is Buffy and her mom, Joyce, Rupert Giles, Buffy's Watcher, Zander Harris. There's a few more but I don't know where they are right now."

"Dawn's at a friend's house and Tara and Willow are . . . I don't know. And Anya is at the Magic Box." Buffy explained.

"Magic Box? Wot's that? Is it fun? Can I go, Daddy?" Will whipped his head around and looked up at Angel with his most disarming pout, "Please?"

"No. It's daylight out, champ, can't have you become a toasty vamp, can we?" Angel shook his head, and put his hand on Will's back.

"Oh . . . that why 'm so tired?" Will yawned and slumped back on Angel's chest.

"Yep. You guys have somewhere I can stash the kid? I don't want him getting in the way and I'm bushed myself." Angel glanced at Joyce before adjusting Will's weight.

"There's a cot we can set up in the basement." Joyce offered, "I'm sure it would be suitable for you, Angel. As for William, I think we can put him in one of the bedrooms, he won't be in the way upstairs."

"Not mine." Buffy said, glancing at Tiny Spike.

"Oh, alright, I don't think Dawn would mind, Angel, you can put him in there." Joyce sighed, "Come on, Angel, I'll show you."

Angel nodded and lifted Will higher, his small head resting on his shoulder, thumb firmly in place in his mouth, "Lead on."

* * *

Angel set Will down on Dawn's bed, shoving several stuffed animals aside to make room. Will curled around one in particular, a fluffy white rabbit. Angel slipped his coat out of Will's grasp and stood back to watch Joyce. The woman gently removed Will's sneakers and set them off to the side, then she pulled the blankets carefully out from under him and tucked him in, stroking his hair fondly and stepping back,

"I've had loads of practice putting sleeping children to sleep, believe me." She smiled at Angel as she walked past.

Angel sighed, walking into the room to draw the shades and close the door gently, he ambled back downstairs and went down into the basement where he found the cot already set up and waiting for him.

He flopped down on his stomach and groaned, he was exhausted, what with driving with the little terror and now this? Staying with the Summers?

"Have I taken leave of what's left of my senses?" He mumbled, closing his eyes tightly and breathing out heavily, " . . . yep . . . long gone."

* * *

That night Will woke in a strange bed, he blinked several times as the dark room came into sharp focus, there were stuffed animals everywhere and he was all tucked in and . . . he stared at the bunny he had been holding without knowing it and immediately pushed it away because it smelled all flowery and . . .

"Ugh!" Will grimaced, "Everythin' smells girly!" He pushed the blankets off and swung his short legs over the side of the bed.

Then he blinked again, where was he?

"Daddy?" He called softly, pulling his shoes on quickly, "Daddy? Where are you?"

Then he could hear voices, he snuck down the hallway until he found the stairs and slowly made his way down them, he sidled toward the kitchen and froze behind the half-closed door, there were new people behind the door, two women, one with long brown hair and the other with shoulder-length red hair and then another woman standing next to the Fat One, her hair was blonde and then there was the Buffy girl and the Joyce lady and that Watching Person. He blinked slowly, he couldn't see Angel at all . . . Will was just backing up when he felt someone come up behind him,

"Eep!" Will whirled around and glared at the girl that managed to sneak up on him.

"Whoa, easy Nibblet!" the girl had long blondish-brown hair and she raised an eyebrow at him, "Aw, you're so cute!"

Will blinked at her and flushed, " . . . Ya think 'm . . . cute?"

"Sure, you're little enough I could pick you right up!"

Which she proceeded to do, much to Will's annoyance, but he conceded when she started to cuddle him and coo at him, he smiled a bit and purred softly, then she turned and carried him into the kitchen,

"Look what I found listening at doors!" She smiled and presented Will to them all.

He blinked uncomfortably at having the spotlight put on him so abruptly and blushed, "Umms, I was . . . I was lookin' fer Daddy . . . "

"Isn't he adorable?" The girl beamed, pressing their cheeks together like Will was a puppy.

"You can put him down now, Dawn." Joyce raised an eyebrow but then Tara and Willow flounced over and started cooing over the tiny vampire.

"Aw, he's the sweetest little thing I've ever seen!" Willow smiled and patted Will's head.

"I didn't think he'd be so cute." Tara smiled softly and didn't look like she knew whether to snuggle Will or not.

Will squirmed and blushed from all the attention, "Umms, Umms . . . 'ang on a tick, I- Where's my Daddy?"

"I'm right here, Will."

Will turned and breathed out with relief, holding his hands out for Angel who immediately rescued him from the females,

"Daddy, I'm hungry." Will said, hugging Angel's neck and peeking over at all the girls.

"When are you not? Joyce you wouldn't happen to have some blood on hand, would you?" Angel smirked and turned to Mrs. Summers.

"As a matter of fact, Giles brought some over earlier." Joyce went to the fridge and pulled out a bag of dark red liquid, "Would you like some too, Angel?"

"No, I'm fine for now, thanks." Angel set Will down and smoothed his hair, it was turning back slightly to the reddish blonde it had been before.

"Alright, I'll get some warmed up."

"So, you say that Cyprus did this spell?" Giles asked, polishing his glasses.

Angel grimaced, "Um, Will, why don't you go sit in the living room? I'll have your breakfast brought in, okay?"

Will blinked, "Why?"

"Because I said so." Angel rolled his eyes.

"Why?" Will pressed.

"Do it or Daddy is going to lose his patience!" Angel snapped, that sent Will scurrying out of the room, Angel turned to Giles irritably, "Try not to mention any spells around him? He has no idea he's even under one."

"Sorry," Giles sighed, "Alright then, so as to my question."

"No, Cyprus ordered it done, but he didn't do it himself. He had Zephyr, his psychopathic Childe do it." Angel explained.

"And Zephyr is a magic-using vampire? How is that possible?" Tara asked.

"I don't know, he just can. Part of me thinks he's into the Black stuff and Blood Magicks, which would explain quite a bit." Angel sighed, "But Cyprus said that the spell was extraordinarily complex and the only way it can be broken is by reaching certain 'benchmarks'. Look, I didn't come here to lift the spell with a counter spell or anything, I came here to work through it in a relatively safe environment."

"Over the Hellmouth?" Buffy raised an eyebrow.

"Better over the Hellmouth where an experienced Slayer, a Watcher, two powerful witches, and an ex-Vengeance Demon live than in LA where we got . . . me." Angel shrugged, "I just need him somewhere that would have more of a powerbase than I can offer on my own."

"Okay, that makes sense," Xander nodded, leaning back tiredly, "So what, Tiny Bad gets to run loose as a baby vampire?"

"He still has the chip, so it isn't like he can hurt anyone," Angel pointed out, "And he's a child, how much do you think he'll want to-"

_**CRASH!**_

They all blinked, and Angel sighed, turning to the living room doorway, "Will, what happened?"

"Umms, it was an accident!"

They all looked at Angel who just shook his head, "I'll compensate for anything he breaks, Joyce, I promise."

**A/N: And they've relocated to Sunny D! How nice . . . anywhoser, we carry on!  
**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Not gonna lie, this chappy was really, really hard to write, but I must do what I must do, my muse demands it, the pushy bitch! RnR please!  
**

Angel leaned in the doorway watching Will color for a bit, his legs swinging under his chair and lips in a pout while he concentrated, eyebrows furrowed, Angel didn't want to do this, but he couldn't get it out of his head, he huffed and walked up behind Will,

"Hey, Willy, what'cha doing?" He asked brightly, glancing over the boy's shoulder.

Will smiled, "Drawin'."

"Oh, yeah? Wanna show me?" Angel scooped the boy up and sat down, settling Will on his lap.

"Yeh, that's you an' Wes killin' a Demon, see?" Will held up the picture that consisted of two stick figures that vaguely resembled the aforementioned (one had a blocky black trench on and the other wore big loopy glasses) stabbing a grayish blob with squiggly arms coming out of its body.

"Yeah, I see it." Angel ran his fingers over Will's shoulders, "Um, William?"

Will blinked and looked over his shoulder, biting his lip when he sensed Angel's unease, "Yeh?"

"Awhile back . . . you remember Zephyr, don't you?" Angel asked, lifting Will up again and turning him around.

Will's small body immediately stiffened and his eyes widened, " . . . I don' loike him . . . "

"I know, but . . . uh," Angel closed his eyes, "When he was bringing you to me, did he . . . did he play a-a game with you?"

Will bit his lip, rubbing his knees fretfully, "He-He said we'd play a game . . . told me he loved games . . . Told me ta hold real still for as long as I could . . . if I did it long 'nough, I'd win."

"And?" Angel swallowed, he was hating himself more and more for making Will relive that night, "You didn't win, did you?"

Will burst into tears, shaking his head, "No! I was so scared, I turned an' ran, but . . . but he caught me an' said I lost! Said he would get the prezzie now!"

"He put his hand on you, didn't he?" Angel murmured, shaking his head and putting his hands on Will's trembling shoulders.

"I-I didn' loike it, Daddy! I was so scared an' he laughed at me an' it _hurt_!" Will sobbed.

Angel immediately pulled the little boy to his chest, rubbing his back and rocking him gently, "Ssh, baby, it's all over, I'm here and nothing can hurt you when I'm around. I got you . . . shhshh . . . "

Will cried for a bit then pushed off Angel's chest, he was suddenly scowling and he morphed into his Demon face, "I was gonna bite him! Only he said he'd leave me by myself if I did an' I didn' know where you were, but I was gonna do it!"

"That's my boy!" Angel smiled, glad to turn the situation around a bit.

"An'-An' I told him if he ever did it again, my daddy would tear him a new one!" Will said excitedly, wiping at his eyes and grinning.

"You got that right!" Angel changed into his Demon face too and smiled wolfishly, "You and me, kiddo!"

Will giggled and put his hands on Angel's shoulders, turning back and breathing out slowly, "We're a team, ain't we, Daddy?"

Angel nodded, "Yeah," He changed back too, "You're my partner."

Will nodded and put his head back down on Angel's shoulder, "I love you, Daddy."

Angel put his arms around Will and smirked, "I love you too, Will."

* * *

"Why can' I go too?" Will whined, watching Angel pull on his trenchcoat.

"Because we're going out to patrol and you're too little." Angel explained for the umpteenth million time in the last five minutes.

"I am _not _liddle!" Will argued, standing up straight, the top of his head came to Angel's stomach.

"Look, Will," Angel knelt down, putting his hand on the boy's shoulder, "I know you want to help and I know you don't like that I leave you behind, but you're just not old enough, okay? When you're a bit bigger, then we'll talk."

Will pouted, crossing his arms and nodding finally, "O-kay!"

"Alright, I'll be back before the sun rises." Angel patted his head and then turned and left.

Will sighed heavily and then went to find something to occupy his mind.

* * *

"So, how are things going?" Buffy asked, wiping dust off her hands and looking over at Angel.

"Besides the fact that I have to raise someone that openly hated me not a week ago? Oh, peachy." Angel sighed, shaking his head, "It's confusing, you know? To watch him like that. The way he acts and I see so much of who he was before."

"What? William the Bloody?" Buffy's eyes widened.

"Uh, no, I mean, the person he was before, quiet . . . innocent . . . trying so hard to please." Angel looked at her, "I made him into a monster, showed him how horrible, how rotten, how evil I was and tried to force him into that mold too. It's my fault that William became bloody to begin with."

"Angel, it wasn't-"

"No, it was, don't make me out to be less of the one responsible, okay?" Angel held up his hand, "I get it, and . . . it actually makes me feel better."

* * *

Will climbed the stairs and went into Dawn's bedroom, "Wotcha doin'?"

Dawn looked up, "Homework."

"Wot's that?" He asked, walking around to examine the books on Dawn's bookshelves.

"Work that the public school system gives you just in case you didn't get enough torture and boredom during the eight hours, five days a week they have your soul." Dawn shrugged.

Will blinked at her, "Sounds painful . . . 'ang on a tick, you're makin' a joke."

"Yeah, that was a joke." She smiled and went back to work.

"Oh, can I 'elp?" He leaned on the bed, staring down at the textbook.

"I doubt it." Dawn didn't even look up.

"Why not? I 'elp Cordy look up Demons and do research all'a time." Will pressed.

"This is Algebra, not Demons and I'm trying to muddle through it, why don't you go be useless and adorable somewhere else?" Dawn said pointedly.

Will blinked and nodded, "Roight, umms, I'll just go see if Lady Joyce has anythin'- I'm goin'."

He clambered down the stairs, making sure to jump down the last six, landing lightly on his hands and feet, "Joyce?"

"In the kitchen, honey."

Will smiled brightly and hurried through the door, he grinned at her while she did the dishes and hopped up onto the counter, "So, I've been given the royal boot from Dawn, Daddy an' Miss Buffy are off doin' heroics an' i's just you an' me."

Joyce smiled, looking over at him, "Hungry?"

"Yeh!" Will nodded enthusiastically and swung his legs.

"There's some blood in the fridge, can you work the microwave?"

"Umms, I'll give it a whirl." Spike hopped down and opened the fridge, pulling out a Tupperware of blood, grabbing a mug and pouring himself a cup, "Fancy sharin' a cuppa with me, Joyce?"

"Sure, William, the tea is in the cupboard." Joyce nodded toward the cupboard to his left.

"Roight."

* * *

Five minutes later Joyce and Will were sitting at the table, sipping their respective drinks, Joyce smiled at him and was about to start small talk when he beat her to it,

"Yanno, I bet my mum was a lot like you, Joyce." He said, tilting his head and looking at her with the largest, most sincere eyes she'd ever seen.

Joyce bit her lip and smiled, looking down at her cup, "Thank you, William."

"You're a real lady, Joyce . . . I mean that." Will smiled at her, trailing circles on the table.

"Well, you've turned into quite the little gentleman yourself, William." Joyce put a hand on his.

"Heh, Wes says I'm a cheeky lil' brat and Daddy says I'm a roight terror sometimes!" Will grinned.

"I say you're a gentleman, so there." Joyce said very seriously.

Will bit his lip a little then quickly held up a finger and hurried into the living room, fiddling with the sound system until a waltz started to play, then he hurried back over to Joyce, bowing low at the waist he looked at her very gravely and held out his hand,

"May I have this dance?" He asked.

Joyce chuckled and stood, curtseying and taking his hand, "Why, how can I refuse?"

Will giggled as they danced over the floor, turning round and round until they both collapsed on the couch, laughing and winded, he turned and hugged Joyce,

"That was fun, Mum."

Joyce smiled and stroked his soft reddish-blonde hair, "I agree, William, but it's been awhile since I've danced."

"You dance like an angel." Will whispered, closing his eyes and was soon fast asleep.

* * *

Rain poured off his head and jacket as Will stood there, staring down at the tombstone some five months later, tears trickling down his face. He was about ten now, having grown rapidly over the last bit of time, he looked up at Angel who was holding Miss Buffy and then he looked back down at the rock that had Joyce's name on it. He bit his lip and clenched his fists before turning and running.

"Will? William!" Angel called, turning to chase the boy but stopping when Buffy grabbed his arm, "I have to go after him.

"Just let him be, Angel . . . " Buffy whispered, "Let him be."

Will ran and ran until he finally collapsed in the park, sobbing and hugging himself and he threw his head back, "I's not fair! Ya hear me? I's not fair! Give 'er back!"

But the only answer he got was a loud thunderclap, he gasped and fell back onto his rear, shivering even though he wasn't really cold and sobbing his heart out.

"Oh my, my, my! Look here, little pet is lost."

Will's head snapped up and he whirled around, "Leave me 'lone, you soddin git!"

Zephyr stepped out of the shadows, an umbrella in one hand, "Easy now, Willy, easy, Uncle Zephyr doesn't want a fight, see?"

"I said let me be!" Will screamed, pushing off the ground and going Demon.

"Ooh, look who's all scary!" Zephyr laughed at him, stepping closer only for Will to back up several steps, "Shouldn't you be hiding behind Daddy or maybe the Slayer?"

Will's whole body went rigid, "I don' need either of them ta take you!"

"Sure, of course you don't . . . wanna play a game, Willy?" Zephyr smiled, showing long fangs.

"It's William an' ya can' trick me, I know 'bout your lil' games!" Will backed up, glaring at him venomously, but he felt his chest tighten with fear.

"Oh? Did Daddy-not-your-daddy tell you about me?" Zephyr asked, stepping closer.

"Wot are you on about?" Will hissed, looking about frantically for a means of escape, "Lemme be!"

He turned and started to trudge back only for Zephyr to appear in front of him, Will hissed in surprise and backed away, Zephyr only smirked, putting down his umbrella and chuckling,

"I want to play a game, Willy . . . I love games and you're not too old for them, are you?" Zephyr moved closer, putting a hand on Will's cheek, "I just love children, mein liebling."

Will shuddered and shook his head, "No! I don' wanna play- Let me go!" He swung only for his punch to be blocked and then returned, he flew back into a tree, gasping and clutching at his jaw as it pushed back into place, "O-Ow . . . "

Zephyr grinned, "You were just as weak and pathetic as an adult as you are now. William the Bloody? Naw, more like William the Baby."

"Wot . . . Wot . . . ?" Will blinked and then gasped again as Zephyr punched him in the stomach, "Ngh!"

"Cyprus wants me to keep my mouth shut but this is so boring to watch, you being all cute and innocent, not the tortured moron I wanted you to turn into, writhing in anger and humiliation at what's been done and all that . . . no, he wants you to be his adorable little Great-GrandChilde . . . You miserable little whelp."

"St-Stop it!" Will tried to hit Zephyr again only for his punch to land a little far right and miss completely.

"No. First, I want to play, then, I'm going to let my control . . . _slip _as it were. Let Big Bad back out, only as a little ten year-old still, maybe then this will progress at a more amusing rate."

Will tried to yell for help over the storm only for Zephyr to cover his mouth and press into him, Will struggled, tears rolling down his face as Zephyr's fist landed again and again into his stomach, face and chest.

* * *

"Will!" Angel called, the storm had long since passed and he was finding it hard to track the little terror when most of the scent had been washed away by the rain, "William, answer me!"

"Aren't you the great hero of the hour?"

Angel snarled and whirled around, "You! What have you done with-?"

"Ooh, temper, temper, he's in one piece . . . " Zephyr grinned, wiping his hand on a white handkerchief, making it scarlet with blood, "But, that's about all I can say for him."

"If he's-" Angel snarled, leaping forward only to get his hands on . . . nothing, Zephyr was now to his left.

"Dead? I thought he already was." Zephyr grinned, "Better hurry though."

Angel turned and rushed through the trees, ignoring every fiber in his being that screamed for him to go back and rip Zephyr apart for the stronger bit that pulled him toward his GrandChilde, only stopping when he heard a sound beyond a stand of oaks, "Will?"

He leaped forward and there was the little blonde, his face, chest, and legs were torn up by bloody claw marks and there were teeth marks all over his neck and shoulders, clothes were shredded beyond recognition and the worse thing of it was that his pants were gone. Angel ran up to the limp little body, reaching down and gently wiping blood away from Will's face,

"Will, can you hear me?" Angel said, pulling his coat off and draping it over the little boy.

"Mmph . . . Ze-Zephyr . . . ?" Will's left eye opened a little and he coughed.

"He's gone, I'm going to pick you up, okay? I need to get you to . . . somewhere." Angel hurriedly, but carefully lifted Will into his arms and started going back to the Summers house.

* * *

"Oh my gods . . . " Tara and Willow stared down at Will's battered little body, the redhead bit her lip,

"What do you want us to do? Healing charms?"

"Yes, whatever you can manage, and Giles, I'll need blood, he'll be starving when he comes to." Angel mopped sweat off Will's forehead and shook his head, "If . . . "

Joyce hurried in with more gauze, "I'm sure what with how quickly he heals everything will be okay."

"I hope so." Angel murmured, then glanced down when Will started to stir, "Hey, Will, can you hear me?"

" . . . Mng . . . " Will's eyes opened slowly and he blinked at Angel, "Wot the bloody 'ell happened, Peaches?"

They all stopped what they were doing and stared at him, Angel blinked, stunned, "Will?"

"Do not call me that, _ever_." Spike glared at Angel, "'ang on a mo- . . . " He looked around then down at himself, "Oh, bugger . . . it wasn' a soddin' dream. I'm liddle!"

"Wait a second, are you Spike?" Angel asked.

"Who the hell did'ja- Oh no, bastard wasn' kiddin' when he said what he did." Spike groaned and stood up, wincing and reaching back to adjust the blanket around him, he glanced around at them all and groaned again, "Please tell me I haven' been callin' Peaches 'Daddy'."

"Sorry, squirt, but you did." Xander leaned on the doorway.

"Bloody hell!" Spike yelped, tearing off some bandages, "Why can' I just be damned for all time like other vampires? No I gotta do puberty again, I-" Spike blinked then turned his back on them all, opening the blanket a bit and looking down, he growled, "I hate me sometimes . . . "

**A/N: Aheh, yeah, couldn't help myself, so I made Tiny Spike into . . . still Tiny-Adult Spike, I guess? Yeah, that sounds right.**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Okay, if you remember, Zephyr attacked Spike and gave him back his adult awareness, but left him as a liddle kid yet. And that's about where we're at. I apologize for the delay, please review if you read!**

"So lemme get this shit straight," Spike paced the floor again, glancing at Angel, "I got turned into a lil mite, so we would learn to be a happy family again?"

"Yep." Angel said, "Which really is horrid for the both of us since you never shut up as a kid as well as an adult."

"Funny, one minute you're holdin' me an' tellin' me ya love me an' the next you're back to bein' a jackass." Spike glared at him, "Look, I don' wanna be Spike Jr. forever okay, so why don' we try an' muddle through this?"

"Fine, but, you're grounded." Angel shrugged.

"For wot?" Spike blinked incredulously at him.

"For taking off on me!" Angel snapped, "You knew better than to go wandering around on your own like that!"

"I was upset! Joyce just di-" Spike stopped, biting his lip and looking away.

Angel blinked, "Spike, if you want to talk-?"

"No, I don' wanna talk ta you!" Spike snapped, crossing his arms.

"Spike, it's okay to be upset, I know how much Joyce meant to you." Angel scooted forward on the couch.

"No you don'!" Spike snapped, his eyes welling up, "She loved me an' didn' care 'bout who I was b'fore an' . . . she reminded me of my mum, before I ruined everythin'."

Angel bit his lip and reached out for Spike, "Spike, come here."

Spike glanced at Angel, blinking for a second and then wiping at his eyes, he shuffled closer, not looking at the older vampire, "Wot?"

Angel put his hands on Spike's shoulders, "It's okay to be upset, to cry, I understand."

Spike stared at him and snuffled, shaking his head, "It . . . It was so stupid . . . she just . . . she just _died_ . . . didn' get killed by a Demon or vampire or anythin' . . . just died."

Angel nodded, "I know, there's no explanation and that makes it worse sometimes."

"I just- . . . I just want ta hit somethin' over an' over until-" He sobbed, covering his face, "Until this stops hurtin'!"

Angel nodded and pulled Spike into his arms, lifting him into his lap, "Shh, I know, I'm sorry I don't know how to make this better, I can't fix this."

" . . . " Spike held tightly onto Angel's neck, turning his head into the big chest against his cheek and sighing when he ran out of tears, "Just don' try . . . just let me be . . . "

Angel nodded, shifting Spike's weight, and leaning back on the couch, "Oh, my sweet boy . . . "

Spike sat back a bit, wearing his trademark pout, "So, does this mean we hafta work t'gether an' all that?"

"Yep." Angel nodded, closing his eyes.

Spike sighed, "Alroight, but don' expect me ta call ya 'Daddy' anymore."

Angel smirked, "Aw, but you were such a cute little boy, letting me give you a bath and taking you to the men's room and-"

Spike leaped back, "Alroight, alroight, I get it! Ya magnificent ponce! God, ya gotta rub it in more?"

* * *

"You're going back to LA?" Buffy asked, staring at Angel's bag.

"Yeah, now that Spike has his self-awareness back he can at least look after himself to some extent." Angel nodded folding one of Spike's black sweatshirts and smoothing it into the suitcase, "I hate to take off on you at such a hard time but . . . I think Spike's depressed."

"Depressed?" Buffy handed him a stack of Spike's little dark-washed jeans.

"Joyce's death hit him really hard . . . I didn't know how fond he was of her before, but now he just stays by himself in the kitchen sometimes." Angel shook his head, "He won't really talk to me about anything either."

"You try making him some hot chocolate? Mom used to do that for Adult Spike when he was all annoying and brooding. He'd talk to her all the time, more than she talked to me sometimes." Buffy looked away then there was a loud crashing sound from the bathroom, both looked up and hurried down the hall.

"Spike? What're yo-" Angel burst into laughter at the sight before him.

"Shut it!" Spike shouted, his cheeks flushing in embarrassment, he set the stool upright and quickly wiped the peroxide off his face, he'd tried to pour some on his head over the sink, to get it back to platinum blonde, but he'd slipped and it went everywhere.

"Spike, what're you doing in here?" Buffy demanded, looking at the peroxide bottle, now empty, and at Spike's head, only partially dyed, and then at the bottles of nailpolish.

"Nuthin'!" Spike snapped, then he leaned up on tiptoes and looked in the mirror, "Oh no!"

"Here, let me help you." Angel said, stifling his giggles and moving behind Spike.

"No, I can do it myself!" Spike snapped, trying to unscrew another bottle of peroxide.

"Spike, let me help you before you make a bigger mess!" Angel snapped, taking the bottle and putting it on the counter, then grabbing the little boy and forcing him to sit down on the stool.

Spike pouted and glared at the sink, his arms crossed irritably, "Fine, ya bloody ponce!"

"That's enough or I'll leave your hair like that." Angel snapped, smacking Spike none-too-gently upside his head, Buffy hid her grin behind her hand and quickly went downstairs.

"Ow! Don' hit me!" Spike yelped, gripping his damp head and glaring up at Angel.

"Don't give me a reason! You act up again and I'll put you over my knee, understand!" Angel threatened, massaging some peroxide into Spike's scalp, "Why can't you be cute and agreeable again?"

"Why can't I be an adult again?" Spike snapped, "I'm just easy pickin's for you or that git Zephyr or some other nasty."

Angel blinked, dipping a cotton swab into the peroxide to use on Spike's roots, he stopped and looked down at Spike, in all the chaos over the last few days he'd forgotten all about Zephyr's attack on Spike, "Spike . . . if you want to talk about what happened-"

Spike glared up at him, "No, I do _not _want ta talk 'bout that! Just let it be!"

Angel nodded, "Okay, if that's what you want, I understand, but I'm willing to listen to you."

Spike blinked and then pulled his knees up, wrapping his arms around them, " . . . 'm not ready ta talk just yet."

Angel nodded again, "Alright, just let me know when you are."

* * *

Spike leaned on the doorway, hair now bleached blonde and a small leather coat that Joyce had gotten him made him look very much like his former self, he huffed,

"C'mon, Peaches, while I'm still obnoxiously young here!"

"I'm coming." Angel grabbed the last bag and shoved it into their car, "Keep your pants on."

Spike raised an eyebrow but didn't say anything. He put his feet up on the dash, glaring out the window and sighing heavily. Angel waved to the Summers and closed his door,

"I wish we could stay a little longer." He mumbled.

"Wot? And miss smelly, ol' LA? Not a chance! We have way too much fun gettin' pissed on by demons and shit." Spike rolled his eyes and glared at Angel, "How's my scowl comin' along?"

"You look more like your pouting than anything else." Angel muttered, glancing at him as they hit the main highway.

"Dammit . . . I gotta get my game face back into fightin' condition! Can' bloody well stand this baby face!" Spike groaned and flopped back on his chair.

"Look, will you just cool it? You're fine, and besides, how much fighting do you expect to be doing?" Angel smirked and shook his head, "You're bite-size, remember?"

"Not for long, I'm gonna rip that bastard Zephyr's throat out and make him watch while I spill his blood all over the place roight b'fore I stake him." Spike growled, leaning up to glare into the rearview mirror then snarling and sitting back down with his arms crossed, "Look like a damn little kid still! How long is this gonna take?"

"We're supposed to work together on this, Spike, so if we try really hard, I'll bet we can pull it off." Angel smiled encouragingly and went back to driving.

* * *

Two years later, sixteen year-old Spike sat in Angel's office at Wolfram and Hart, glaring out the necro-glass windows and muttering darkly to himself, Angel looked up from his desk and sighed, Spike hadn't aged as quickly as before thanks to his old attitude being reintroduced, in fact, they were fighting a lot more and Angel had a feeling that going through puberty again had nothing to do with it.

Spike glanced at the brunette then got to his feet, his old trenchcoat dragging on the ground as he swept up to Angel's desk,

"Can I take the Viper for a spin?" He asked softly.

Angel blinked, "Why?"

"Cuz, I wanna, why else?" Spike's eyebrows furrowed.

"If I said, 'no', would you throw a fit?" Angel folded his hands over the papers he'd been going over.

"I don' throw fits." Spike growled, "I throw objects an' people." He reached over and picked up a paperweight, lifting it and poising his arm to chuck it through the window-panels that made up the wall of Angel's office.

"Are you threatening property damage on me, young man?" Angel asked calmly even though he was thoroughly done with Spike's malarkey.

"I'm bored! Ya won' let me go out with you on jobs, ya won' let me help with the work, an' ya make me sit in your stupid liddle office for most of the day when I am awake!" Spike ranted, moving to put the paperweight down, only he did it a little too hard and missed the desk, causing the glass sculpture to shatter on the carpeting, " . . . oops."

"And that, Childe, is why you're confined to the office." Angel muttered, leaning over to his phone and calling in clean-up.

**A/N: Aheh, yeah . . . that was fun! Teenage-Spike should prove an interesting challenge that I readily accept!**


End file.
